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Samson & Charlie Skincare Among Aussie Brands Targeted by Scammers This Weekend

Announcement posted by Samson and Charlie 01 Feb 2021

Melbourne-based skincare brand wants to warn others of the scam
Melbourne-based skincare brand Samson & Charlie was targeted by scammers this weekend, devastating the brand’s founder. The small-batch brand’s founder, Carole Staeck, was out to dinner for her husband’s birthday when she received messages from loyal followers alerting her to the scam, and others claiming they had won the brand’s recent giveaway.

“I checked my phone after dinner and saw that a fake account with almost our exact name had targeted our followers, claiming they had won our recent giveaway. The scammers were asking for credit card details. I was devastated to think our followers might have handed money over and been scammed.”

The fake account and social profiles have since been taken down, but Staeck wants other businesses to be aware of the scam as Samson & Charlie is not the only brand to be targeted. One of the skincare brand’s fans wrote on Samson & Charlie’s social post: “This is the 2nd post about a fake account I've seen on insta today.”

Staeck is calling for Facebook to step up and do more to protect brands and their followers on the platform.

"As a business owner, there's little I can do to stop it happening again," said Staeck. "We need Facebook to do more. It's about protecting both the companies and their followers who mean so much to brands like ours."

Staeck’s response to the scam was swift, posting warning posts on all the brand’s social channels: “SCAM ALERT This is a fake account targeting our followers claiming they have won our recent GIVEAWAY. If you have accepted CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS NOW.

Our giveaway does not close until the 6th of Feb and the winners are contacted via DM from this account and by email on the 10th of Feb. The competition will also be updated on the original post.

We are devastated our followers were targeted so please be SAFE and don’t give anyone money. We would never request money for a giveaway.”

The message is clear: Double-check the sources of messages from brands you follow, especially if you receive suspicious messages. By increasing awareness, Staeck hopes her valuable followers and those of other Australian brands don’t get scammed again.